DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Amazon’s 18,000 job cuts don't go far enough expect more layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon 's (AMZN) plans to cut 18,000 workers is a drop in the bucket relative to its workforce of roughly 1.5 million. "They hired a huge number of people ... firing 18,000 people frankly is nothing," Jim Cramer said Thursday on CNBC. If there are more cuts ahead, the market will likely reward the stock and push it higher. Meta announced in November it was letting go of roughly 13% of its workforce , but those cuts are insufficient, too. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Amazon: it’s just like them
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) can’t always dominate everything – and that might be a strength. Boss Andy Jassy wrote in a memo Wednesday about plans to hand out pink slips mostly in the Amazon Stores and People, Experience, and Technology groups. Like other digital behemoths, Amazon has been hit by a slowing economy and investors’ souring view on tech. The irony is that showing weakness could actually benefit Amazon. With a market capitalization of more than two Walmarts (WMT.N) and revenue of five Targets (TGT.N), it’s hardly small.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy confirms company will cut over 18,000 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon said Wednesday it will cut over 18,000 jobs, a bigger number than the e-retailer initially said it would be eliminating last year. "We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted," CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a memo to employees that the company published on its blog. In November, Jassy said Amazon would eliminate roles, including at its physical stores and in its devices and books divisions. "Amazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so," Jassy wrote. Amazon plans to inform employees who will lose their jobs starting Jan. 18, Jassy wrote, noting that most cuts will come in the stores and People, Experience, and Technology (PXT) groups.

☆ The soda market is flat, but not for Dr Pepper
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And recently, Dr Pepper has been gaining ground on its competitors, even as the overall soda market goes flat. “One of the bright spots … has been Dr Pepper.”Founded in 1885 in Waco, Texas, Dr Pepper was the first in a wave of 19th-century upstart soda companies. Courtesy Keurig Dr PepperToday, Dr Pepper advertises itself as a treat, using a pint-sized mascot called Lil’ Sweet in its commercials. After Dr Pepper established itself as an alternative to mainstream colas, it launched on a path that ultimately made it part of the country’s third-largest soft drink maker, Keurig Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper hits the sceneDuring the wave of mega-mergers in the 1980s, Coca-Cola tried to scoop up Dr Pepper.

For startup founders and venture capitalists, the office holiday party is a December tradition. For many venture capitalists and the startup founders they invest in, December is synonymous with two things: end-of-year paperwork and office holiday parties. But this year, holiday parties in startup-land look a little different. "Align those goals with your holiday party, and you can do something powerful and cost-effective," she said. "You should maybe cut some travel, maybe you don't have a big holiday party, but that's all drop in the bucket compared to head count," he said.

☆ I'm a 20-year-old metaverse fashion designer who's worked with Karlie Kloss, Paris Hilton, and Elton John. Here's how I spend my days.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

When it comes to digital fashion, though, the possibilities are boundless. Over the years, I've collaborated with celebrities like Karlie Kloss, Paris Hilton, and Elton John on personalized collections for the metaverse. Certain brands I've worked with have asked me to create virtual replicas of their existing merchandise. Digital fashion has already evolved from a cryptic concept to a familiar notion. I see myself eventually creating traditional clothing from my metaverse designs — developing ideas, designing, and simulating pieces digitally before transforming then into tangible, wearable pieces.

But when she finally spoke to Omogun-Broadnax a couple days later about being the face of her sports agency centered on Black female college athletes, McLean said she felt an immediate connection. “It’s really important for Black athletes to have that kind of representation because it provides another sense of protection. The pair of 33-year-old attorneys, who served as clerks in the same circuit court in Maryland, talked for years about creating an agency that could advance the careers of Black female athletes. “Black female athletes are some of the most talented human beings on this planet,” Omogun-Broadnax said. Solace’s focus on Black female athletes gives the agency a rare niche.

☆ NFL Week 14 preview: Playoff seedings on the line as season enters business end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Whether it be draft position or playoff seedings, each game means something to each team as Week 14 of the NFL season kicks off in earnest on Sunday. And, as a result, the Jets’ season has metamorphosed from shoots of optimism to playoff hopes. Sunday will see Tom Brady face off against seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel west to face the San Francisco 49ers. Despite playing his first meaningful action and with his team’s season possibly on the line, Purdy never looked fazed, leading the 49ers to an important victory. Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7PlusBrazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPNCanada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZNGermany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZNMexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky SportsUK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime

☆ Argentina beat Netherlands on penalties to reach World Cup semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

In a scrappy half-hour of extra time with the scores level, Enzo Fernandez rattled the post in the closing seconds while Martinez and German Pezzella also had efforts blocked or parried away as Argentina desperately pushed for a winner. The Netherlands had rarely troubled Argentina during the match before substitute Wout Weghorst's header in the 83rd minute sparked them into life and he rolled the ball past goalkeeper Emi Martinez deep into stoppage time to send the game into extra time. Argentina captain Lionel Messi had superbly set up Nahuel Molina for their first-half opener, threading a sublime pass through the Dutch defence, before coolly slotting in a penalty in the 73rd minute after Denzel Dumfries fouled Marcos Acuna. Argentina will next face Croatia, who beat Brazil on penalties earlier, on Tuesday for a place in the final. Reporting by Hritika Sharma; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil out of World Cup after losing to Croatia on penalties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Brazil, the favorite to win this year’s World Cup, is out of Qatar 2022 after losing to Croatia on penalties 1-1 (4-2) in Friday’s dramatic quarterfinal. Another Croatia shockAt the World Cup in 2018, Zlatko Dalić’s team won three knockout rounds after forcing the game into extra-time and it beat Japan on penalties in the previous round in Qatar. Croatia, the beaten finalists in 2018, will now face either Argentina or the Netherlands for a place in the World Cup final, while Brazil will be left to come to terms with another missed opportunity. Another upsetIt’s already been a World Cup of upsets and this was another to add to the list. Brazil was the top-ranked team at the World Cup and possessed an incredible array of talent, with the likes of Neymar and Vinícius Jr. lighting up the tournament.

U.S. shale production costs are soaring and there is no sign that tight-fisted investors will change their demands for returns rather than investment in expanding drilling. At Helmerich & Payne (HP.N), one of the largest drilling contractors, its R&D budget will rise only $1 million, from 2022's $27 million. The U.S. government expects overall oil production to reach a new peak next year, but it has several times this year cut its forecasts. Shale production declines rapidly after peaking compared to conventional oil wells, falling about 50% after the first year. Lower production rates are "a longer-term prospect," said Mike Oestmann, chief executive of shale producer Tall City Exploration.

Organizations: & $

☆ Brave Morocco advance as Spain flop in shootout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved spot-kicks from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets after Pablo Sarabia had hit the post and Spanish-born Hakimi held his nerve to earn his team a quarter-final against either Portugal or Switzerland. Morocco became only the fourth African nation to reach the last eight of the tournament, 12 years after Ghana did so in South Africa. After a scrappy match finished deadlocked at 0-0 after extra time with few shots on target, Morocco fed off the raucous support of their red-clad supporters in the shootout as Spain crumbled. Spain enjoyed more than 75% of possession and completed almost 800 passes but Morocco caused problems for them on the counter-attack and goalkeeper Unai Simon made some good saves. It was the fourth time Spain have been knocked out of the World Cup on penalties and the second in a row.

☆ Croatia beat Japan on penalties to reach World Cup quarter-finals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/8] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Round of 16 - Japan v Croatia - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar - December 5, 2022 Croatia's Dominik Livakovic saves a penalty from Japan's Takumi Minamino during the shootout REUTERS/Lee SmithAL WAKRAH, Qatar, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Croatia goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic saved penalties from Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Maya Yoshida before Mario Pasalic netted the winning spot-kick in their 3-1 shootout win over Japan on Monday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. With the scores deadlocked at 1-1 after an absorbing 90 minutes, Japan's Kaoru Mitoma went closest in the scrappy half-hour of extra time, forcing Livakovic to parry away his powerful drive. Croatia forward Ivan Perisic, who was denied by Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda in the opening minutes, pulled them level 10 minutes into the second half after meeting Dejan Lovren's cross with a powerful header. Croatia will face either Brazil or South Korea in the quarter-finals. Reporting by Hritika Sharma, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Messi scores in milestone match as Argentina reach World Cup quarters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Martin Petty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi scored his first goal in a World Cup knockout round on his 1,000th career appearance to beat Diego Maradona's tournament tally for Argentina as they beat off a late Australia fightback to win 2-1 on Saturday and reach the quarter-finals. Messi put Argentina ahead after 35 minutes with a coolly taken strike low into the corner for his 94th international goal to pass the great Maradona's eight World Cup goals, in a match where he was instrumental in almost every Argentine attack. Lifted throughout by rapturous, overwhelmingly Argentine support that sang and bounced in unison on all sides of the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Argentina pressed and finally made the breakthrough. After Goodwin's deflected shot found the net, there was a real prospect of extra time in a stadium where the Socceroos had booked their World Cup place via a penalty shootout in an intercontinental playoff earlier this year. Argentina looked dangerous late on as they battled for a third goal, with Lautaro Martinez firing wide before substitute Garang Kuol missed with seconds left in stoppage time.

Organizations: & $

☆ 4 college friends turned $1 million into a New York venture-capital empire backing tech's hottest unicorns. Here's how they did it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Founded as the side project of four college friends, Eniac Ventures has become a major player in VC. They named the firm Eniac Ventures, after the first electronic computer, developed at the University of Pennsylvania's engineering school, where the four had met. What started as the side hustle of four college buddies has become a powerhouse of the venture-capital industry, backing some of tech's hottest unicorns. And Eniac has invested alongside some of the biggest names in venture, including Y Combinator, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and New Enterprise Associates. Vasen met the Eniac partners at an event they hosted for prospective founders at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco.

☆ Fernandes double fires perfect Portugal through to World Cup last 16
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Martin Petty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

For a Portugal whose World Cup narrative has so far been crafted by the controversy and brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo, the night belonged to Fernandes, who shone throughout and always looked threatening. The win was the third time at a World Cup that Portugal have won two successive group stage matches, and the previous two times led to streaks into the semi-finals. Fernandes played down talk of his starring role and said his focus was the next match against South Korea and getting a perfect nine points for Portugal. "Our objective is to think match after match and we have to do our best because we obviously want to win all the matches." Portugal were dangerous on the approach and controlled both flanks, with Bernardo Silva, Fernandes and an industrious Joao Felix combining well and each frustrated in their efforts to put Portugal ahead.

☆ Germany looks to bounce back from shock defeat and revive World Cup hopes against dangerous Spain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Finishing bottom of the group at Russia 2018, a tournament Germany went into as defending champion, was a historic low for the four-time World Cup winner. But after that shock 2-1 defeat to Japan in its opening match, it is once again a distinct possibility. That result means the match against Spain is do or die for Germany, as a defeat would confirm an early flight home from Qatar. World Cup team camps have traditionally been somewhat strict, private affairs, but Spain head coach Luis Enrique has been taking an unconventional approach to passing the time behind closed doors. In Group E’s other match, Japan knows victory over Costa Rica will guarantee its place in the knockout stages.

☆ Messi keeps World Cup dream alive with magic strike against Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Messi goal helps Argentina beat Mexico 2-0Late Fernandez goal wraps up all three pointsMessi equals Maradona's World Cup games and goalsLUSAIL, Qatar, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi kept his dream of winning his first World Cup alive by rifling in the opening goal in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Mexico in World Cup Group C, proving he was far from done in the tournament. The Argentine, competing in his fifth World Cup at age 35, has won every other major title in his career but has failed to lift the coveted trophy despite making the final in 2014. "Today starts another World Cup for Argentina," Messi said. Apart from a Lautaro Martinez effort that was well off the mark and another from Messi, Argentina were toothless up front. The South Americans looked more determined after the break and their captain and talisman dragged them out of trouble with his second goal of the tournament.

☆ Dutch strike late to grab 2-0 win over Senegal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Netherlands scored twice in the final minutes through Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaassen to beat Senegal 2-0 in their World Cup Group A match at Al Thumama Stadium on Monday. Klaassen then pounced on a weak Mendy save to score on the rebound nine minutes into stoppage time. The Dutch join Ecuador, 2-0 winners over Qatar on Sunday, on three points at the top of the group and the top two meet on Friday. Klaassen made sure of the three points with a tap-in in stoppage time after Mendy palmed a Memphis Depay shot into his path. They also stretched an unbeaten record in their opening game at World Cups that dates back to 1938.

☆ I quit my job as a Goldman Sachs VP to write romance novels. It was scary but worth the career change.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Lindsay Macmillan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She left Wall Street to pursue her passion during the Great Resignation. I left my job at Goldman Sachs to pursue my lifelong dream of being an author. In my last few years at the firm, I had an uncommonly good work-life balance for Wall Street, logging only about fifty hours a week. In the midst of the rejections and self-doubt in the years leading up to the book deals, I was grateful for my Wall Street job. In my first job at Goldman, I'd been the only woman investor on my NYC team of twenty men.

☆ How a maverick Brazil lawmaker helped Lula beat Bolsonaro's propaganda machine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - To bring down far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Andre Janones had to fight fire with fire. Janones also raised eyebrows among some in Lula's Workers Party (PT) for his vulgar attacks on Bolsonaro and his allies. One senior Lula aide defended the role of Janones, saying he could tread where the official campaign did not dare. He was the most prominent Lula ally to drop the gloves in a bruising run-off race that took even Bolsonaro's campaign by surprise. Despite his hell-raising, Janones has not lost sight of digital media as a public service.

☆ The startup founder's guide to letting people go efficiently and compassionately, if you have no other choice in a time of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"The more you share earlier, and [the more] you involve people along that journey, you're going to gain some trust there," he said. That's what Keystone does when it works with companies conducting layoffs, Varelas said. Deliver the news with integrityVarelas said it's important to show respect for the employees you're letting go. "You just let go of 10 of your hardest working colleagues and you're going out and you're celebrating." They're going to start losing faith and confidence in your leadership."

☆ How a 26-year-old Black female founder raised $12.6 million in venture capital for her skincare brand, Topicals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Olowe gave her advice for pitching investors with confidence as a Black female founder. Her company creates skincare products for chronic conditions that can be difficult to treat and contribute to lower self-esteem. Before last year, only 93 Black female founders had raised $1 million or more in venture capital, according to ProjectDiane, a biennial report on the state of Black and Latina women founders by the organization Digitalundivided. Above all, she doesn't let the statistics on funding for Black female founders trip her up. That means she provides more context to give investors a deeper understanding of the market for skincare products, especially within communities of color.

☆ How Gregg Lemkau went from Goldman CEO contender to building a hybrid investment bank catering to billionaires
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Gregg Lemkau was in the running for CEO before he left Goldman Sachs in 2020. Now he runs Michael Dell's investment firm, which is merging with billionaire advisory BDT. When Gregg Lemkau left Goldman Sachs in late 2020 to run Michael Dell's investment firm, many within and outside the bank were surprised. Cardinale, who had left Goldman a decade ago to start his own investment firm, knew it had to be a massive opportunity to pull away Lemkau. Oldest sibling Kristin runs JPMorgan's US wealth management business and Lemkau's younger brother Chip is a managing director at Goldman Sachs in private wealth management.

Search resuls for: "Scrappy"

25 mentions found